UNM is hosting a rare opportunity for students to hear a world-renowned environmental activist speak on the relationship between Earth and those who inhabit it.
Vandana Shiva will speak at UNM for an event organized by UNM’s Sustainability Studies Program, entitled Abundance 2015: Earth, Health and Wellbeing. Her speech will focus on the concept that “we are all seeds of abundance and creativity.”
The event on Tuesday night is free and open to the public, said program director Bruce Milne.
“Philosophically, what I’d like to do is echo her message that we are all seeds of abundance and creativity,” he said. “We’ve designed an event to make everybody feel really welcomed into that idea of abundance.”
Doors open at 5 p.m. in the SUB ballroom, and the event will run until about 9:15, he said. Activities will kick off at 5:30 with a poem by Levi Romero, former poet laureate of UNM.
Afterward, a complementary vegetarian banquet will be served, Milne said, provided by Chartwells.
During the dinner attendees will discuss conversational survey questions such as, “What do you think are the greatest advances in sustainability in the last five years in Albuquerque?”
The conversations will be recorded and compiled, Milne said, and afterwards they will be sent back out to everybody so that “they can all learn from each other.”
Shiva will speak at 6:30 p.m. with a Q&A afterwards, Milne said. Shiva said she looks forward to interacting with students and faculty.
“The students can expect to hear about what is happening to seed, food and our lives, and how they can be engaged to be seeds of change,” Shiva said. “I will talk about the abundance and creativity in the seed, but also the potential for abundance and creativity in each person.”
Pamela Quintana, a sophomore communications major, said she feels fortunate that Shiva is coming to UNM.
“I love her philosophy that we are all ‘seeds’ waiting to bloom and reach our full potential of peace, health and abundance,” Quintana said. “I know I'll leave this event feeling inspired and hopeful.”
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There will also be a raffle at the event, with 25 prizes donated by artists, farmers and community-supported agriculture projects. They include solar phone chargers, dinner coupons, jewelry, massages and a one-night stay at the Parq hotel.
“It’s amazing the generosity that people have brought into this,” Milne said.
At 7:30 p.m. a documentary titled “The Cure is…Transform Your Health,” will be shown. The film focuses on mindfulness and how that translates into the physiology that makes one healthy. A discussion with the director, David Scharps, will follow.
Milne said the driving message of the event is centered on cooperation with the environment.
“If we join forces with nature and understand ourselves as a part of nature, then the world is an incredible place to live,” he said.
The event will address all the access and privilege we have to resources that we tend to take for granted, Milne said.
“I think people at the event will feel that shift,” he said. “Once you get your mind into that position then you’re actually healthier, you have more personal wellbeing. You’re not stressed out yourself, so you’re able to be more available as a helper to other people who need help in the world.”
This event took six months to plan and cost around $19,000 to put on, Milne said. Funds were raised from various donors, including Bernalillo County, Rio Grande Community Farm and the Sustainability Studies Program.
He said the efforts are worth it to host someone of Shiva’s academic caliber.
“She is one of the most inspiring speakers you’re ever going to see, one of the most powerful writers on the planet,” Milne said. “For a lot of people it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should inspire us to continue these kind of efforts in the future.”
Matthew Reisen is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.com
